Escalation of B.C. public service strike hits citizens’ services and gaming branch

Members of the BC General Employees' Union picket outside of the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, in Surrey, B.C., Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Public service workers in British Columbia are again escalating job action, picketing a citizens’ services office that issues services cards, processes freedom of information requests and facilitates the BC Bids procurement system.

The BC General Employees’ Union says that in addition to the Ministry of Citizens’ Services office in Victoria, pickets have also gone up at a Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch location in Burnaby.

The union says the two new picket locations were “strategically chosen” to “highlight the essential role” played by public service workers in B.C.

It says members are expecting the citizens’ services picket to delay front-line services.

Meanwhile, the gaming branch picket is aimed at disrupting B.C. Lottery Corp. operations, which may slow down a major provincial revenue stream.

The union had already escalated job action earlier this week, when the union said on Tuesday it was targeting services for the mining sector just as B.C. is trying to speed up several projects’ development.

Job action by the union is in its third week, with more than 4,600 workers on strike and a total of more than 8,500 members taking part when overtime bans are included.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2025.